1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for displaying a background screen in a mobile terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the term “mobile terminal” refers to a communication device with which a user can communicate and exchange data with another user while mobile. As mobile communication environments for such a mobile terminal are developing more and more, the capabilities of the mobile terminal, which has only previously been used for voice communication, are increasing. For example, with such a mobile terminal, the user may use Audio On Demand (AOD) and Video On Demand (VOD) services, may have mobile visual communication with another user in real time through the use of a camera installed in the mobile terminal, may download and play a game application, or may view a Digital Multimedia Broadcast (DMB) through the use of a DMB receiver. That is, mobile terminals have evolved into a device that enables the user to use various types of information in addition to the voice communication function.
A touch screen is a type of display that includes a display unit and an input unit. Recently, touch screens have become popular user interfaces for many electronic systems. Touch screens are especially conducive to small electronic devices, e.g., mobile devices.
The increase in capabilities of the mobile terminal leads to an increase in the kinds of applications to select and execute, which in turn means an increase in the kinds of icons, corresponding to applications, which are used to access the applications. However, since the mobile terminal is limited in size, it is not easy to display all icons on a display which likewise has a limited size.
In order to address such a problem, there has been proposed a method of setting a plurality of background screens displayed on a display unit, disposing a plurality of icons according to the set background screens, and enabling the user to make transitions between the background screens and to use the background screens as needed, so that a large number of icons can all be displayed on one display unit.
FIGS. 1A-1C are views illustrating background screens based on a method for displaying a background screen according to the related art.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C, the user may set a first background screen including icons 1a, 1b, and 1c, as shown in FIG. 1A, a second background screen including icons 2a, 2b, and 2c, as shown in FIG. 1B, and a third background screen including icons 3a, 3b, and 3c, as shown in FIG. 1C. Thereafter, when the user is to execute a specific application, the user identifies the location of an icon corresponding to the specific application while making transitions between the background screens shown in FIGS. 1A-1C in order to find the specific application, and executes the specific application by executing the icon when the user has identified the location of the icon. For example, when an icon corresponding an application the user desires to execute is icon 2a shown in a background screen shown in FIG. 1B, the user identifies that icon 2a has been registered in the background screen shown in FIG. 1B while making transitions between the three background screens shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, makes a transition to the background screen shown in FIG. 1B, and executes the icon 2a, thereby executing the desired application.
According to the method of the related art that is described with reference to FIGS. 1A-1C, icons are set according to background screens, so that all icons can be registered (or disposed) among the various background screens despite there being many icons. However, when the number of executable applications in a mobile terminal increases, the number of icons increases accordingly, thereby causing inconvenience to the user. That is, when there is a large number of icons, it is difficult for the user to remember which background screen an icon corresponding to a desired application is included in. Accordingly, the user must search for the corresponding icon while continuously making transitions between background screens, which causes inconvenience to the user.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a method for enabling the user to easily identify icons registered according to background screens so that the user can rapidly execute a desired application.